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The Honolulu Advertiser
Posted on: Friday, July 3, 2009

Kilauea goes dark after rockfalls


Associated Press

Hawaii news photo - The Honolulu Advertiser

The normally white gas plume emitted from Kilauea's summit vent in Halema'uma'u Crater turned dusty brown for several minutes following a rockfall on Tuesday. Vent collapses are often the result of a drop in the lava level.

USGS Hawaiian Volcano Observatory

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VOLCANO, Hawai'i — The bright glow at the summit of Kilauea volcano has been snuffed out by a series of large rockfalls within its crater.

The Hawaiian Volcano Observatory says the rockfalls within the Halema'uma'u vent began Tuesday, producing a seismic signal equivalent to a magnitude-2.4 earthquake.

The rumble was felt at the observatory and the adjacent Jaggar Museum.

Chunks of the vent rim fell into the cavity in the floor of the crater. In all, more than 30 rim collapses were recorded.

Vent collapses are often the result of a drop in the level of lava in the vent, which destabilize its walls.

Kilauea has been erupting on the Big Island for more than 25 years, with its lava creating a plume of steam as it spills into the Pacific Ocean.